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This week we welcome Sheila Ronis, a defense and automotive expert who will discuss the role the car companies play in military matters. In particular we’ll ask why the Pentagon was staunchly against letting GM and Chrysler fold, and why it believes that would have placed the United States at a strategic disadvantage. And, we’ll definitely be getting into the news of the week as Ford finally looks like it will kill off the Mercury brand. Plus, has the BP oil disaster brought us to a petroleum tipping point in which we say goodbye to fossil fuels? Conversely, many are saying Carlos Ghosn is overly optimistic in his prediction that Nissan will sell 500,000 EVs by the end of 2014. John McElroy’s in studio with Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist, and David Welch from Bloomberg BusinessWeek.

Subscribe to the free podcast version of Autoline After Hours:

Thanks to our partners and friends AsianMartin.com, AutobirdBlog.com, MissMotorMouth.com, Rumblestrip.net and WardsAuto.com for embedding AAH!

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Join Stuart McIntosh, Brand Manager of Galpin Spyker, as he takes the Autoline camera for a ride around the streets of LA in a Spyker C8 Laviolette. Learn about the wild features this supercar has, and DOESN’T HAVE, that set it apart from the competition.

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These days Cadillac is turning out one hot product after another, and the latest iteration of the SRX crossover is no different. Hard-edged Art and Science styling combined with bold and brash gestures makes this a vehicle that looks like nothing else on the road.

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The BMW 1-series is an enthusiast’s car, to be sure: excellent handling and a nice powertrain make it a blast to drive. So why do they sell fewer of these than the 7-series? In a word, practicality, or the lack thereof.

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This week it’s the man, the myth, the legend: Jason Vines, our old AAH friend and colleague. Mr. Vines joins the panel to discuss the news of the week including GM’s big marketing switcheroo back to the formally-ousted Campbell-Ewald. Also, Bob Lutz gets his send-off from GM as he finally retires and gets ready to become a CNBC correspondent. Plus, Porsche raced it’s flywheel hybrid at the Nurburgring to extraordinary results — could this be a technological alternative to oust battery-powered EVs? John McElroy’s in studio with Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist, and David Welch from Bloomberg BusinessWeek.

Subscribe to the free podcast version of Autoline After Hours:

Thanks to our partners and friends AsianMartin.com, AutobirdBlog.com, MissMotorMouth.com, Rumblestrip.net and WardsAuto.com for embedding AAH!

If you weren’t a part of Monday’s great “Open Line” discussion on anything and everything automotive, Michelle Naranjo of MissMotorMouth.com has a taste of what you missed! And, don’t forget to check out the next discussion right here at 8PM ET / 5PM PT on June 7, 2010. Phone: 1-218-936-6581 and PIN: 25049

As we have quickly learned to expect on Open Line, you never know who is going to show up! This week we had a surprise appearance by Autoline After Hours’ Autoextremist, Peter De Lorenzo, who weighed in on BMW’s announcement that they want to encourage buyers to pre-order cars and the potential for Alfa Romeo in the US.

Some age-old debates came up, but they never get tiring when they are addressed as passionately as the Open Line crew is capable of. Buying used cars vs. new cars and Camaro vs. Mustang were just two of the traditional topics that got a whole new Open Line-style treatment.

There was a lot to be said when we took on the definition of what exactly constitutes a muscle car and if there is such a thing as a non-American muscle car. There was even a brief, but amusing conversation about what the point of a burnout test is exactly. Direct injection, transmissions and torque talk were also an interesting part of the discussion.

The phone line stayed busy for over 6 hours and was accented by vibrant parallel activity in the chat room. One regular member mentioned in the chat room that, “Open Line and Autoline After Hours are great car talk” because he doesn’t have any friends or neighbors who can talk cars like we do! That is a great endorsement!

~Michelle Naranjo, MissMotorMouth.com

Open Line for June 7, 2010:
Phone – 1-218-936-6581
PIN – 25049

Thanks to our partners: GMInsideNews.com and AllPar.com

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Autoline producer Chip Drake recently had the opportunity to catch up with Mercedes-Benz President and CEO, Ernst Lieb at the launch of the company’s new E-Class convertible. In this interview we learn how Mercedes is dealing with the ever-expanding presence of Audi in the luxury segment. We also discuss whether the company’s high inventory level can be used as a competitive advantage against BMW. Plus, now that the alliance between Daimler, Renault and Nissan has been finalized, what benefits can the company expect from the relationship?

If you didn’t show up for last week’s great “Open Line” discussion on anything and everything automotive, Michelle Naranjo of MissMotorMouth.com has a little taste of what you missed! And, don’t forget to check out this week’s discussion right here at 8PM ET / 5PM PT on May 17, 2010. Phone: 1-218-936-6581 and PIN: 25058

What an encouraging night “Open Line” had this week! We had our debut on Monday nights and a premiere with our streaming partner GMInsideNews.com and the participants showed up in droves.

This week was tilted a bit towards a Futurama scenario, so topics included everything from the future of carbon fiber in mainstream auto production, the real price point for electric cars to the Autoline-inspired topic of the future of automobile magazines and whether the iPad can save them for a new generation.

Between a really active chat room and the full-to-the-brim phone lines we also covered selling cars online, what that looks like now and how that can change. Journalist contributors stopped in with their first-drive impressions of their most recent cars including the Rolls-Royce Ghost and the Tesla Roadster. And we had a great debate about where Big Insurance stands in the auto industry in an atmosphere where we all assume Big Oil, Big Government and Big Automakers hold the keys to the cars that we drive. One of our West Coast participants called in from his commute home in his G8 GXP and shared his opinion on why the American Muscle car will never die.

The callers came from so many great areas of online auto enthusiasts and they got to interact for the first time outside of their normal areas with one another as well as the surprise guests who popped in to chime in.

Thank you to all of our callers, listeners and especially the wonderful chat room participants!

~Michelle Naranjo, MissMotorMouth.com

Open Line for May 17, 2010:
Phone – 1-218-936-6581
PIN – 25058

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This week we welcome the author of the book Car Wreck, Mark Ragsdale, a former dealership owner and operator that says the U.S. auto industry took the American public for a ride. By the way, he wonders, why has there never been a dealer on an auto company’s board of directors? And, according to Ragsdale, you should never buy a new car again–only lease, and he’ll tell us why. Of course, we’ll get into the news of the week: Chrysler posts a profit, the UAW wants more compensation, and sales slow down in China. John McElroy’s in studio with Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist, and David Welch from Bloomberg BusinessWeek.

Subscribe to the free podcast version of Autoline After Hours:

Thanks to our partners and friends AsianMartin.com, AutobirdBlog.com, MissMotorMouth.com, Rumblestrip.net and WardsAuto.com for embedding AAH!

You may have caught our new automotive show/chat, “Open Line” following “Autoline After Hours” the last few weeks. Well, now you can catch it on it’s own night and time. Starting today, listen to or join in the “Open Line” chat every Monday night at 8PM ET / 5PM PT.

As usual, you set the agenda, we just provide the medium. So get on the horn or in the chat and tell us what you want to talk about! See you tonight!

“Open Line” for Monday, May 17, 2010
Phone: 1-218-936-6581
PIN: 25058
Web: www.autolinedetroit.tv